From Whale Branch to West Point graduate. ‘It wasn’t easy,’ says Beaufort native
Robert Alston Jr., a Beaufort-area student, is feeling like a trailblazer after graduating from the one of the most prestigious and rigorous military academies in the country, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Alston is the first graduate of Whale Branch Early College High School since 2010, when it opened, to graduate from the 223-year-old West Point, Freda McCanick, principal of the Whale Branch school, confirmed Friday.
The Whale Branch school, located in the unincorporated community of Seabrook 10 miles north of Beaufort, is a high school and an early college, partnering with the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort enabling students to earn college credit while obtaining high school diplomas.
Alston, 24, says his barrier-breaking journey from small-town student in South Carolina to West Point graduate highlights the power of perseverance.
When his name was announced during the June 13 graduation ceremony at Michie Stadium on the West Point campus in West Point, N.Y., he could not help but think, “All my blood, sweat and tears paid off.”
Cadets graduate with a bachelor of science degree and a commission in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant following four years of grueling coursework. Alston also attended a year of prep school because he was an enlisted soldier.
It was a heady experience for Alston to walk across the stage wearing the West Point cadet’s distinctive white cap and gray jacket to receive his diploma. A red sash hugged his waste and a saber hung from his hip. He shook hands with a general then joined 1,060 other graduates who, per tradition, tossed their white hats into the air in celebration of their accomplishment when the first cadet called out “Class Dismissed!”
“I felt like I was the trail blazer,” Alston told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet.
At Whale Branch, Alston, the son of Robert Alston Sr., a chef, and Doreen Austin, a certified nurses assistance, of Sheldon, played basketball and ran track. He began taking a full load of college classes when he was just a sophomore and graduated in 2018 when he was 17.
Katrisa Johnson, a retired teacher who worked at the Technical College of the Lowcountry when Robert was a student, recalled Alston as an intelligent, athletic and respectful student who was surrounded by supportive friends and family. The graduation of a Whale Branch graduate from West Point, she added, is “absolutely amazing.”
“I’m glad he stuck it out,” said Johnson, noting she once advised Alston that attending West Point would be “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Not only was Alston the first Whale Branch student to graduate from West Point, Alston was the first member of his family to graduate from a four-year institution, which Alston says is an even bigger accomplishment to him.
Alston doesn’t come from a military family. But at Whale Branch, he participated in two years of ROTC, the leadership training and development program that prepares college-enrolled students for military service. That experience, and disciplined mentors, influenced his career path. “I just wanted something I knew would push me,” he said.
He enlisted in the Army and left for basic training in Fort Sill, Okla. six days after he graduated from high school.
“I had to grow up fast,” Alston says.
Then it was on to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio for medical training to become a medic. His first duty station was Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where he entered a base-wide Soldier of the Year competition and won.
He later received an email from West Point encouraging him to apply. Alston believes the Soldier of the Year award may have played a role in that invitation. His Aberdeen Proving Ground commander, a West Point graduate, also encouraged him to consider West Point. Alston, who originally planned to return to South Carolina to attend college, decided to take a chance. “I just felt like I had a calling to go there,” he says.
West Point, established in 1802, was founded by President Thomas Jefferson to train officers for the rapidly expanding army. Its graduates are part of what is known as the “Long Gray Line” because of the integral part many have played in the nation’s history.
“It’ wasn’t easy,” Alston said of the experience. “West Point really makes you earn it to the last test.”
Besides the heavy academic load, the coastal South Carolina native had to endure New York’s bitter cold and snowy winters.
The positive part of the experience included the diverse backgrounds of cadets from all over the country and even the world. Despite their differences, says Alston, the cadets learned to work together toward a common goal. “Together We Thrive” was the class motto.
“You always had a hand to pull you out of the mud when you are down,” Alston says, “and you do the same for other people.”
That’s a lesson he will carry with him the rest of his life. Alston’s next stop is Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, where he will spend seven months studying engineering. His first duty station will be Fort Johnson in Louisiana. His military commitment is five years but Alston says he’ll likely serve closer to 20. Eventually, he hopes to earn a master’s degree in business administration and run or own his own business.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 12:47 PM.
